How to Order Meze Alone at an Istanbul Meyhane

How to order meze alone at a meyhane

A meyhane (traditional tavern) is built for groups. Four people minimum, six is better, eight and the table starts to sing. So eating alone in one feels, on paper, like showing up to a wedding by yourself. It is not. We do it often. The trick is knowing how to order meze (small shared plates) so the kitchen and the waiter understand what you actually want, instead of defaulting to the group menu and quietly judging your life choices.

Here is the ritual, the way it actually goes.

Sit down between 19:00 and 20:00 if you can. Earlier than that and the kitchen is still setting up the cold mezes. Later and the room fills with reservations and a solo diner becomes harder to seat. A small two-top near the kitchen or the bar is what you want. Tell the host "tek kişi, meze ve rakı" (one person, meze and rakı). Those five words solve eighty percent of the awkwardness. The waiter now knows you are not waiting for friends and you are not lost.

The waiter will bring the meze tray to your table. This is the part most guides skip. It is a large round tray, fifteen to twenty small plates on it, all cold mezes (small shared plates). Beyaz peynir (white cheese), haydari (strained yogurt with garlic and dill), patlıcan salatası (smoked aubergine), fava (broad bean purée), çiroz (dried mackerel), lakerda (cured bonito), kısır (bulgur salad), and ten others depending on the house. You do not order from a menu. You point.

For one person, three cold mezes is the right number. Not two, not five. Three. Pick one creamy (haydari or fava), one vegetable (patlıcan salatası or topik), and one from the sea (lakerda is the classic, çiroz if you want something punchier). Tell the waiter, in any language, "these three," and add "sonra sıcak" (hot ones later) so he knows you want to pace the meal. He will nod. This is the correct order.

The rakı arrives with the cold plates. One single (tek), not a double. A small carafe of water on the side, a glass of ice if you want it, and a plate of melon and white cheese that appears whether you ordered it or not. Pour the rakı first, then the water. Watch it turn cloudy. This is the moment the meal actually starts.

Eat slowly. The cold mezes are not a starter course you finish before moving on. They stay on the table the entire meal. After thirty or forty minutes, when the rakı is two-thirds gone, signal the waiter and order one hot meze. Arnavut ciğeri (Albanian-style fried liver) is the standard. Karides güveç (shrimp casserole) if you want richer. Sigara böreği (cheese-filled cigar pastries) if you want lighter. One hot plate is enough for a solo diner. The kitchen will not bring it in a portion designed for four if you said "tek kişi" at the start.

Fish is optional. If you want it, order a small grilled levrek (sea bass) or a half portion of çupra. Most meyhanes will do a half portion for a solo diner if you ask. Some will not, and that is fine. You can skip the fish and stretch the cold mezes another half hour.

A few honest notes. Solo meyhane dining is still uncommon, and some of the older places in Asmalı Mescit or Nevizade will give you a strange look at the door. Not rude, just surprised. The newer meyhanes in Kadıköy around Kadife Sokak are more relaxed about it. If you feel the room is not for you, leave after the first rakı and find another. There are forty meyhanes in walking distance of wherever you are standing.

The bill for one person, three cold mezes, one hot meze, two singles of rakı, and bread and water lands around 800 to 1,200 lira depending on the neighborhood. Cash is appreciated. Card is accepted almost everywhere.

One last thing. The man at the next table will probably try to talk to you somewhere around the second rakı. This is also part of the ritual.